Halloween on Febuary 15th
by Alavons-Child
Summary: Samhains loyal followers take their revenge on thr RGBs and attempt to free their master.
1. Marry me Janine

_Chapter one: Marry me Janine!_

"No more!" Peter wailed as Ecto-1 sped the Ghostbusters through the dark city streets and back to the firehouse. "I can't take any more of these damn ghosts. One more gig like that and I think I might have to join their side!"

It was late and back streets of New York were virtually deserted as most of its citizens were either tucked up in bed or enjoying their Saturday night. Peter certainly wasn't.

He and the rest of the Ghostbusters had spent the last three days and nights fighting against increasingly large amounts of hostile ghosts all determined to create as much havoc in the city as possible.

The Ghostbusters were exhausted. Peter ached all over. His legs felt like lead and if he had to lug his heavy proton pack one more step he felt sure he'd collapse. The others seemed just as tired, their hair was ruffled and dark rings were forming under their eyes due to lack of sleep.

Peter took the rare opportunity to close his eyes. It felt so _good._ He tried to shut out all the noises of the city and allow the gentle rocking of the hearse to send him off to sleep, praying that it wouldn't have the same effect on Ray, who was driving, and looked just as tired as Peter was. Peter was just starting to dose when he heard a beeping noise next to him.

"Egon, put it away." He warned not opening his eyes. "You don't need the PKE reader to tell you that there's a large amount of ghost activity in the city. Just check out the bumps and bruises covering my body."

"I'd rather not." Egon said stiffly.

He was very worried and in no mood for Peter. The PKE was showing unprecedented amounts of psychic energy and the ghosts had worked themselves up into a frenzy.

He stared down at the meter and fiddled with the knobs hoping that he may have miscalculated and that things weren't as bad as they appeared. No such luck. No matter what he did the needle stayed high. Egon sighed and put it away.

Next to him an irritated Peter opened his eyes.

"What is it?" He snapped he hadn't meant to be rude but his temper was frayed due to lack of sleep. He wasn't alone in this.

Ordinarily Egon would have risen above it and pretended that he hadn't noticed the abruptness of Peters tone but he couldn't help but snap back.

"I thought you said you didn't need me to tell you that there's a large amount of ghost activity in the city?"

"Guys!" Winston called soothingly from the front. "Just relax will you."

"Love to." Peter said sarcastically, folding his arms across his chest like a petulant two year old who didn't want to eat his greens. "Unfortunately the ghosts in this city seem to have other plans for me today. Most of which involve throwing me from tall buildings."

"We caught you." Ray reminded him, taking the next right into their street.

Peter rolled his eyes. "That's not the point," He persisted, "The point is, we have no time to relax anymore. We've been on call out for three days! It's nine thirty now and we still have another call tonight before Mrs. Tenants poltergeist at 9 A.M tomorrow. If there is something big coming, and judging by Spengs constant clucking there _is_ something coming ,then we are all going to be too tired to deal with it!"

He sat in a huffy silence as the others digested his outburst. He could see from their faces that they knew he was right. They just didn't want to admit it. Normally he would have been thrilled by this and continued to drive his point home but as Peter couldn't offer any practical solution to their situation he decided to leave it there.

As they pulled into the fire station Janine looked up from the computer screen and flashed them a warm smile.

Peter slammed the door behind him as he got out. He noticed the hot cup of coffee and the remains of her dinner still on her desk and pursed his lips moodily.

"Pleasant evening Janine?" He shot at her. "Not too strenuous I hope."

Some part of him knew that this was unfair. Janine was working just as hard as the rest of them to keep up with the paperwork and to deal with the irate customers demanding to been seen earlier and trying to claim for damages. But it wasn't the same as risking your neck zapping spooks on skyscrapers was it?

Janine shrugged. "Everything's been fine here." She said moving away from the desk and relieving Winston of the smoking trap.

"Thanks Janine." He said as she headed off to the containment unit in the basement. "What time's our next appointment by the way?" He called after her. "I need some food!"

"It's at Ten." She called back. Peter caught her before she reached the stairs.

"What!?" He exploded. "Forget dinner, we haven't even got time to change! Janine it's quarter to now. You're supposed to at least give us time to get to the next appointment!"

"I did." She replied. "It's ten A.M tomorrow. Or is twelve hours and fifteen minuets not long enough for you Dr. Venkman?" She demanded pointedly.

Peter's mouth opened and closed wordlessly. Janine shut it for him with a perfectly manicured nail.

Egon seemed confused. "What happened to Mr. Frost and Mrs. Tenants ghosts?" He asked.

"I moved their appointments." Janine said simply. "You guys are exhausted, you need a rest so I told them both that an emergency had crept up and that they would be dealt with as soon as possible. They're both stating with relatives so there's no real harm done."

Peter was still staring at her and it was beginning to creep her out. "What?" She asked him. "Did I do something wrong?"

Peter let out a sudden whoop of joy and grabbing Janine around the waist swung her around before planting a huge kiss on her lips. She pushed him away, red in the face but not quite as red as Egon.

"Dr. Venkman!" She protested, slightly embarrassed.

Peter didn't care. He clicked his heels and punched the air in triumph. Moodily Egon took the trap from Janine and thrust it into Peters chest.

"Why don't you take care of this for Janine?" He said coldly. "Then we can all eat."

"For this lady I will do anything." Peter said in a gallant voice and bowed graciously.

Janine couldn't help but giggle which only served to make Ego's cheeks flush redder.

"What is for dinner anyway?" Ray asked, leaning against his locker as he took off his boots.

A distant rumble indicated that someone else in the firehouse had food on the brain. A huge green blob floated down through the ceiling leaving a slimy stain behind him.

"You've eaten Slimer!" Janine reminded the ghost who pouted moodily as Janine went onto to explain that she had already ordered a Chinese meal for the boys and that it was on its way.

"Marry me Janine." Peter joked as Egon edged him towards the stairs to the basement.

"Oh Dr. Venkman." Janine laughed as she settled back at her desk. "My mother would never approve. She wants me to marry someone a little more reliable."

* * *

Half an hour later the Ghostbusters were showered, changed and settling down at the table for their meal. As even Peter was in a good mood tonight they had allowed Slimer to join them though Dr. Venkman had threatened to blast the spud with his thrower if the little beast hogged all the noodles.

When Egon finally arrived the others had already started. Despite being first in the shower Egon had arrived in the kitchen last as he had spent the last few minuets running an equipment check in his lab to see if he could pinpoint the source of the disturbance.

He left it running while he went down to dinner..

"Where's Janine?" Egon asked as he took his place at the table.

Ray pointed down the stairs with his chopsticks. "She said she's already eaten. She's just finishing off today's reports."

Egon looked thoughtful for a moment before reaching out for the wine bottle and pouring two glasses of red. Scooping them up he turned and headed down the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Asked Peter through a mouthful of chow mien.

"I'll be back in a minuet." Egon called as he descended the stairs. "Save me some."

Winston looked over at slimmer who was pouring egg fried rice into his mouth as though it were water. "We'll try." He said, though he looked doubtful.

Janine almost jumped out of her skin as Egon perched himself on the end of her desk.

"I'm sorry" He appologised quickly, "I didn't mean to startle you. I just though that you might like a drink."

Janine smiled gratefully and took the glass of wine from him. They sat drinking in silence for a moment before Egon spoke.

"Thank you." He said softly. "You didn't have to do all of this."

"Yes I did." She shrugged modestly. "You couldn't have continued at that pace for much longer and I know you guys, you wouldn't have stopped until you'd gotten to the bottom of all of this."

"There's something big coming isn't there?" She asked quietly.

Egon nodded. "I don't know what yet but there are certainly dangerously high amounts of psychic energy in the area. We're going to be in for a rough ride."

"Then it's probably best that you make the most of your down time."

"You should to." Egon said placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and they found themselves looking deep into each others eyes before Egon broke away, embarrassed.

"Why don't you leave this until tomorrow?" He blushed, not looking at her. "Come upstairs."

Janine relented. "Okay," She agreed, I'll just finish off this paragraph and I'll be up."

Egon left her to it and it wasn't long before Janine was saving her work on the computer and switching it off for the night.

As she bent down and unplugged it there was a knock at the door. She sighed heavily and trudged across the firehouse to the door.

"I'm sorry but we're closed." She called "come back in the morning."

But the caller remained undeterred. He knocked again, louder.

"Didn't you hear me?" Janine demanded, yanking open the door. "I said…"

* * *

Upstairs the others had managed to save some for Egon by holding Slimer off with Peter's thrower. Egon settled back into his chair with a satisfied smile.

"You managed to persuade her to come up then?" Peter grinned at him.

"I asked Janine to join us, yes." Egon nodded. "It seems only fair; she's been working hard as well."

They other Ghostbusters grinned at each other. "We tried to get her to some up." Ray smiled with a meaningful glance at the others. "But she refused.

"You must be very persuasive Egon." Peter teased.

Egon's cheeks flushed red and he opened his mouth to say something but before he could speak a sudden noise like splintering wood resounded around the firehouse punctuated by a shrill scream. Knocking the table over the Ghostbusters thundered down the stairs and skidded to a halt on the cobbles of the firehouse floor where an enormous ghost, black as the night with long sharp claws and gnashing pincers stood. Janine lay unconscious at his feet.

"Well," said Peter as the monster reared it head and roared at them, "At least she's getting a lie down!"


	2. So much for our night off

_Chapter 2: So much for our night off_

Janine's vision was blurred as she came to. At first she thought that her glasses had been knocked off when the ghost hit her but miraculously they had stayed put. Lifting her head slightly she glanced towards the Ghostbusters who were diving for their proton packs.

"Janine!" Peter yelled seeing that she was conscious. "Move!"

Janine managed to roll out of the way just as a giant paw smashed down to the ground where she had been laying moments before, cracking the cobbles. There was a flash of light and over the crackle of the proton streams she heard the huge black creature roar angrily as it recoiled from the Ghostbusters fire.

Pulling herself to her feet she stumbled forward, ducking under the proton streams to avoid getting burned. But before she could reach safety the ghost pushed forward and pinned her to the floor, its razor sharp claws were inches from her face.

"Let her go!" Egon ordered as the Ghostbusters held their fire.

The ghost chuckled, its pincers clicking loudly as a trail of drool dripped down onto the terrified Janine.

"We do not think that you are in any position to tell us what to do Dr. Spengler." It smiled wickedly. "We all know that you will not risk any harm coming to Miss Melnitz."

"How do the bad guys always know _all_ about us?" Winston moaned. Behind him Slimer peered over the top of Janine's desk cautiously and deciding that it was safe blew a raspberry at the Ghost pinning Janine to the floor.

"So you know_ our_ names," Peter growled at the ghost, "Why don't you tell us about _yourselves? _I always feel rude blasting nasties without a formal introduction."

The ghost didn't seem to be focusing on the Ghostbusters anymore. It had turned its attentions onto Janine who was squirming in its grasp. It leant down so that its pincers were right by her face. Its putrid breath was so foul that it made her gag.

"Tell them what you feel." It ordered her.

Janine was struggling to breathe never mind speak. "Help me!" was all that she could manage.

The Ghostbusters knuckles turned white as their grip tightened on their throwers. Desperately they fought the urge to fire. Any sudden movements could be lethal for Janine.

The Beast continued to snap at her pale face. "It's not nice is it Miss Melnitz, being held captive against your will? How do you imagine our master must feel trapped in your containment unit when he should be roaming free! Free to rule as was his destiny."

"Oh," Peter sighed, "That's what this is about! So which one is he?"

The ghost finally turned his attention back to the Ghostbusters. It focused its thin red eyes firmly on Peters and growled one word:

"Samhain."

Slimer gave a horrified yelp and dived back under the desk as the Ghostbusters jaws dropped in disbelief.

"Samhain?" Ray repeated, sounding a little confused.

Peter let out a startled snort of laughter. "You do know its February, right?" He asked. "Samhains' the spirit of Halloween. You're a little late."  
"Or early," Ray shrugged. "It depends on how you look at it."

Egon shook his head. "Actually," He informed them, "As Samhain is the spirit of the holiday itself. It honors his arrival and so is plausible that whenever Samhain rises that date can be taken to be Halloween. October 31st is just the day that the Druids set aside to honor the dead so..."

"Okay, Okay," Peter interrupted. "October 31st or Feburary 15th it doesn't really matter. There's no way we're letting Samhain out of the containment unit."

"Are you sure that we can't persuade you?" The ghost snarled.

It applied more pressure to Janine who screamed in agony as the air was pushed from her lungs.

"Stop it!" Ray yelled firing at the Ghost.

The others followed suit hitting the creature with everything that they had. It reared up and relinquished its grip on Janine. Egon rushed forward and tried to lift her. She was weak and struggling for air but with his help managed to get to her feet.

The beast had been pushed back against the door. The lighting like beams of the proton rays encased it successfully, the ghost struggled against its bonds. But with only three beams aimed at it Ray, Winston and Peter found it impossible to fully subdue the monster.

"Divide and conquer my brothers." It said suddenly in an earsplitting screech.

The Ghostbusters, Janine and Slimer stared in horror as the huge monster split into three parts. These smaller black blobs began to take form. Three pairs of piercing red eyes stared back at them. Three bushy tails swished, three sets of snapping jaws gnashed menacingly.

"Nice doggies!" Peter muttered as the three black hellhounds advanced slowly.

"I seriously doubt it!" Winston cried. He lifted his thrower and took aim at the dog on the right which was coming dangerously close to Egon and Janine.

As its companion was hit the middle dog took over and leapt at the retreating pair. Egon swung himself protectively in front of Janine.

The hound smacked into him and pinned him to the floor. Janine screamed and kicked out at the creature pinning Egon to the floor. She heard Ray call out: "Move!" and backed away as the dog was hit with a blast of Rays pack.

Dazed the hound slid off of Egon and turned to the others.

"Retreat." It ordered.

The hound still trapped in Winston's stream wailed and tried to pull free as a swirling hole appeared just behind Ecto-1. It was like a black hole sucking in air and pulling everything towards it. Everyone held tight to the nearest object except Winston who dug his heels in, determined not to let the hound he was holding free and Egon, who was slightly disorientated due to his encounter with the hound.

The two free dogs dived for the hole and disappeared through. Its pull seemed to grow stronger as the hole began to shrink. Janine noticed Egon sliding forward along the cobbles, being pulled by the portals wind.

Anchoring herself to a pipe on the wall with her left hand she stretched out with her right to try and save him but it was too far. The wind was intensifying now and he was gradually being dragged towards the swirling hole. The wind was so strong that it lifted Janine off of the ground slightly. She tightened her grip on the pole and looked desperately over to the others to see if they could reach Egon.

Peter, like her, was clinging to a pipe but was even further away than she was and Ray had his hands full trying to keep hold of Winston who was still trying to contain the third dog. Not even Slimer could help as he had rooted himself to Rays leg.

There was nothing for it. Janine let go hoping that once she reached Egon their combined weight would be enough to hold them in one place. But it was impossible. No sooner had she let go of the pipe Janine found herself hurtling forwards through the air and into the portal.

"Janine!" Egon screamed over the howling winds. He had just come to in time to see her tumble past. The wind began to die down now as the portal shrank. Egon tried to stand but before he could someone sped past towards the hole.

"Peter, no!" Ray warned. But it was too late. Peter made a horizontal dive through the portal after Janine just as it was closing. His heavy brown boots were the last thing anyone saw of him as the portal closed up.

"NO!" Egon yelled rushing to the place where the hole had been. Behind him Winston cried out urgently.

"Look out!"

Distracted by his friends disappearance the tall Black Ghostbuster had dropped his guard allowing the third hound to struggle free. Egon turned quickly, thrower raised and crackling menacingly but the hound was not interested in him. With a pained howl the ghostdog took off through the hole in the firehouse door and disappeared into the night.

Ray moved over to Egon and helped him to his feet.

"She was trying to save me." He whispered.

"I know man," Winston said sympathetically. "It wasn't your fault."

"I couldn't reach her in time." Egon continued.

Ray shook his head. "She and Peter are together Egon, don't worry they'll look after each other."

"Where are they anyway?" Winston asked helping Ray lug Egon to Janines chair. The red-haired ghostbuster settled Egon down and began to check him over. He didn't seem to have a concussion, he was just shocked. They all were.

"I don't know where they are." Egon replied in answer to Winstons question. "That swirling hole was a portal not only between time and space but between realities and universes. Peter and Janine could be anywhere."

"But we can get them back right?" Winston asked hopefully, sure that if anyone had an answer it would be Egon. His heart sank as Egon shook his head in despair.

"I wouldn't know where to begin." He whispered, his face was pale and set.

From the floor Slimer gave out an agonized wail. Ray knelt down and pulled the disgusting blob into a hug. Green slime trickled down his sweater as he squeezed.

"There, there Slimer," He sniffed. "They're safe. I can feel it!"

A sudden noise behind them made them jump Egon leapt decisively to his feet and almost ran across to the lockers Winston and Ray smiled at each other, he had a plan.

"What do we do?" Winston asked quickly as he followed Egon over to his locker. Egon pulled it open and began to change into his pale blue overalls. "We're going to track down the last dog." He explained. "As it's one third of the same being it's still tied to the other two. When Ray said he could feel that Janine and Peter were okay it got me thinking…"

"We'll I can't literally feel that they're okay Egon." Ray muttered, concerned that his friend might be clutching at straws.

"I know that Ray," Egon sighed. "We may all have a strong connection with each other but the bonds of friendship that humans form isn't strong enough to span time and space. The dogs on the other hand aren't human."

"How hard did you hit your head?" Winston asked him in a concerned voice. Egon ignored him.

"You don't understand, "He said excitedly, "Because the three ghosts are one being their bio-rhythm is set on the same frequency so if I can find that frequency I may be able to trace the other two dogs through the portal Janine and Peter fell through. I may even be able to work out how to reopen the portal. I'll know more once we have the ghost captured."

"Egon, you're a genius!" Ray thrilled. But Winston seemed a little more cautious.

"Hang on a second guys." He protested. "We don't even know what were up against here!"  
"It's a Wisht Hound of Samhain." Egon said simply.

"Well I glad we cleared that up." Winston sighed. "Now can you tell me what a waste hound of Samhain is and most importantly, how we catch it? The packs were on full but we could barely contain it!"

"The _Wisht_ Hounds of Samhain are his most faithful servants." Egon explained. "They druids summoned them to guard Samhain and ensure that he was never freed."

Winston was justifiably confused. "But they're trying to free him now." He said incredulously.

"We all know from first hand experience how powerful Samhain is." Egon said as he tied his bootlaces. "He manipulated the hounds. He gave them the power to merge into one being and dive between worlds. He promised them much more if they agreed to serve him and help his rise to power."

"So how come we've never seen _them_ before?" Ray wondered as he to change into his Ghostbusters uniform.

"Well they guarded Samhain from the other side, they were never part of the world of the living." Said Egon pulling his pack back on and heading for Ecto-1 "That might be why they weren't able to break through to the world of the living when Samhain first returned but it doesn't explain why they're here now."

"How do we find out?" Asked Winston who had also changed and was just putting on his pack.

"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." Said Egon darkly. "For now let's just concentrate on finding Peter and Janine."

Ray and Winston nodded and dived into the car, Winston was in the driver's seat. In the back Ray leant back and was startled to find that his seat was sticky and wet.

"Slimer!" He sighed "You're too little."

The ugly green ghost materialised slowly through the fabric of the hearses back seat and pouted at Ray.

"I wanna save 'anine an' peter!" He protested.

"It's okay Ray!" Egon said impatiently. It was clear that he was keen to get a move on.

"Fine." Ray relented. "Just stay out of trouble." He warned the ghost and buckled up tight as Winston sped away into the dark streets following the instructions Egon was giving from his PKE.

Egon," Winston asked cautiously as they turned off into a main road. "You still haven't told us how we catch this hound thing."

Winston was more than a little disconcerted to see a flicker of doubt cross Egons face. When the blond ghostbuster did finally speak he _sounded_ confident. "When I work that out Winston," He muttered. "You'll be the first to know."

In the back seat Ray couldn't help but laugh. "So much for our night off."


	3. Do you think they can read?

_Chapter 3: Do you think they can read?_

Peter landed face first on the hard cobbles. The weight of his pack slammed him hard into the surface so hard he felt his nose might be broken. He watched a drop of blood splash down onto the floor and swore. He knew those cobbles well, this was the fire house, he must have missed the portal.

"Damn it!" He spat. "I thought I'd made it. Why the hell is it so dark?"

But there was no response. With a great deal of effort Peter rolled over and righted himself. He felt his jaw drop.

The firehouse was wrecked. Even through the dim light of the streetlamps outside he could see that the building had been derelict for some time. The pole was rusted, cobwebs festooned every nook and cranny and there was no sign of any of the Ghostbusters. Peter's stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch of apprehension.

"Egon?" He ventured.

A sudden groan from the shadows startled him so much he turned and fired, missing the figure hunched on the floor by inches.

"Janine?!" Peter gasped, rushing over to her.

Janine was struggling to rise from the corner of the room. Behind her stood a rickety cabinet that looked as though something had smacked into it with some force, presumably Janine as she had been sucked through the portal. It would certainly explain her dazed and disheveled appearance. There was a thin trickle of blood running from a gash on her head. Peter caught her as she stumbled on her heels towards him.

Janine peered up at Peter with a slightly disappointed look as though she were expecting someone else. "Dr. Venkman? She said with mild surprise.

"Where did the ghosts go?" Peter asked her urgently, glancing wildly around the room half expecting this to have been a trap and that the hell dogs would pounce at any moment.

Janine shook her head uncertainly "I…I'm not sure." She groaned. "I hit my head and then I must have blacked out. I'm sorry." She said apologetically.

"Yeah, you should be." Peter teased. "I risk my neck to save you and you not even in danger. I wonder where they went."

"I wonder where we are."

"That to." Peter agreed. In his arms Janine swayed slightly. "Here, let me see your head."

Peter said softly before settling her on the cold cobbled floor. She didn't seem too keen.

"It's fine." She muttered pushing his hand away from her. He frowned at her and wagged a stern finger.

"Hey. Trust me," He ordered. "I'm a doctor."

"Of Parapsychology and psychology."

"Well they do say pain is all in your head." Peter shrugged.

"Quite literally in my case." Janine groaned

Peter grinned at her. "You wouldn't put up this much fuss if _Egon_ was examining you." Her eyes narrowed but she allowed Peter to examine her. "It's not a deep cut." He assured her once he was done. "Let's find some water and get you cleaned up."

"Dr. Venkman..?" Janine began in a small, frightened voice.

"Janine," He interrupted. "You call the others by their names why not me?"

"Because you insisted upon it when you hired me." She smiled wryly. "You put it in my contract."

"Oh yeah." Peter smiled reminiscently "Well you can stop now. It's kind of annoying."

Too late he realised too late that that probably wasn't the best thing to say. Though still slightly dazed Janine managed a smile.

"Yes Dr. Venkman." She grinned. "Just kidding Peter. So what happened? This is the firehouse right?"

"Apparently." Peter nodded. "The question is 'is it _our _firehouse?'"

Janine looked confused so he elaborated. "That hole we went through was a portal through space and time." Peter explained "We may have gone backwards or forwards in time. We may even be in a parallel world run by giant ants that have enslaved humanity in order to build giant spaceships to invade other planets in the galaxy."

Perhaps due to his speculative flight into an unscientific world of fantasy Peter didn't noticed Janine got up and pulled back the firehouse doors.

"Looks like New York to me." She said mildly, sniffing the smoky air.

"NO!" Peter cried out diving forward and pulled her roughly away from the door. He slammed it shut and turned angrily to Janine. "Listen to me Janine," He warned, "you _have _to stick with me at all times while we're here those dogs might still be after us."

Janine said nothing more through shock than anything else. Ordinarily she would have told Peter off for manhandling her so roughly and accused him of overreacting but the look on his face told her that was not the case. She had rarely seen him more serious and that both shocked and frightened her. They were clearly in _big_ trouble.

Still, there was no point in denying what she had just seen. It was defiantly new York

"We've must have gone through time." She nodded confidently. "Everything looked normal…ish. I mean not like the other parallel worlds that we've seen."

Peter nodded his agreement. "Forward or back though?" He muttered, more to himself than Janine.

He suddenly clicked his fingers, making her jump. Excitedly he led her down the stairs to the basement. It was dark down there, no windows meant no light. Janine fumbled in her skirt pocket and produced a cigarette lighter.

"It's Dr. Stanz's" She explained as she handed it to Peter who clicked the top open. In the faint orange glow she could see that he looked amused.

"Ray told me he'd given up." Peter smiled.

Janine shrugged. "He has." She said. "Which is why I hide his lighters from him."

"Removing the temptation." Peter nodded. "Very wise."

He kicked the wooden door to the basement open and, taking Janine's hand, led her down the metal staircase. At the bottom they found… nothing.

"No containment unit." Peter said grimly. "We must have gone back. The containment unit is built to last forever."

"Really?" Janine asked surprised. "But what happens when you guys are gone? In like a hundred years when there are no Ghostbusters?"

"Janine, please!" Peter said in a mock diva voice. "We're scientists. We don't think about what happens _after_ we've done an experiment. The way we see it, if the worlds still in one piece there's no harm done."

Janine rolled her eyes suspecting that that particular scientific reasoning was specific to Dr. Peter Venkman. After a moments uncomfortable silence she asked:

"So how far back are we?"

"No idea." Peter replied honestly.

"Oh god!" Janine groaned. "How do we get back?"

"No idea."

"Oh god! I hope Egon can find us."

Peter looked a little hurt. "Janine I _am_ a scientist." He reminded her. "I'm sure that I'll think of something. Right now I think its best that we find out when we are."

Janine couldn't help but agree. Part of her felt that it might be best to stay put and wait for rescue but they couldn't be sure when or even if that would be possible. Besides the building was insecure and with the hell dogs around it might be a good idea to move.

Keeping close to Peter she followed him out of the building and down the street. The few people that they came across seemed normal enough for New Yorkers. They were dressed in fairly contemporary clothes, except a six foot tall, black transvestite who was wearing a bright red fifties dress and a scowl that would frighten a lion. Funnily enough though people seemed to find him normal compared to Peter and Janine.

"Everyone's staring." Janine whispered as they hurried quickly along.

Peter didn't seem too concerned. "They've probably never seen anyone as hansom as I am." He shrugged.

"I think it's your proton pack."

Even she had to admit Peter looked strange but perhaps that was because she was unused to seeing him wearing a pack without his uniform. It didn't really go with his faded jeans and blue sweater.

"I'm not going to take it off. We might need it," Peter reasoned. "Let them stare."

He held his head defiantly high and continued but Janine, who was never normally one to shy away from the spotlight found that she felt very uneasy under the old new Yorkers critical glare. She hung her head to avoid her gaze. It was perhaps because of this that she noticed the paper lying in the road. She scooped it up and scanned the front page.

"Five years!" She gasped reading the date by the headline. "We've gone back five years!"

Peter seemed to think that this was good news. "That's not too far." He shrugged.

"It's far enough." Janine replied shrilly waving the paper under his nose. "I'm not sticking around for Gozer again!"

Peter snatched the paper away and tried to place a soothing hand on her shoulder. She brushed him off. The glaring onlookers had now turned to gawkers who stood staring at Janine and Peter.

"That won't happen for another two years remember." Peter said quietly. "There aren't even any Ghostbusters yet. Just calm down. We don't want to draw attention to ourselves"

Janine now realised what a spectacle she and Peter had become. Taking his arm she pulled him swiftly away from the onlookers and carried on down the street so that they wouldn't be overheard.

"Well there _are_ still Ghostbusters. " She said once she was sure that it was safe to talk. "You, Ray and Egon were at the university five years ago right?"

Peter could see what she was getting at and shook his head firmly.

"We were still just studying ghosts then." He reminded her. "Well Egon and Ray were anyway. I was studying in different areas."

"Yeah the girls dorm." Janine said pointedly. "Peter I'm sure Egon will help us if we ask."

Again Peter shook his head. "He's in the early stages of his research," He sighed. Slightly annoyed that Janine felt that a pre- Ghostbuster Egon (smart though he was) would be better suited to helping them out than he, Peter was. "Old Egon wouldn't know where to begin." Peter continued. "If we suddenly turn up saying hey we're from the future where we all hunt ghosts I think it might be too much even for his big ol' brain to handle. Anyway we can't really risk us seeing ourselves."

"Why what will happen?" Asked Janine.

Peter looked dramatically skyward "The universe will implode." He said softly.

"You're making that up." Janine frowned.

"Okay I saw it on TV." Peter admitted "But seriously though. Do you remember seeing yourself? I know I don't and it's the kind of thing that sticks out in your head. I don't think it's a good idea to mess with our past if we don't know what effect it'll have on our future."

Though she hated to admit it, Peter had a point. With a frustrated sigh Janine returned to the one question that had been plaguing them all evening: "So what do we do?"

They were by now on the main road where, even though it was quite late there was a constant flow of traffic and a large amount of people still bustling about. Peter moved to the curb line.

"Right now we find somewhere safe to stay." He said and holding out his hand and flagging down a yellow cab. Once it had pulled up he opened the door for Janine and passed her his proton pack before squeezing in next to her.

With small beady eyes the driver watched it suspiciously but neither Peter or Janine felt in the mood to explain anything. Now that the adrenaline rush he had received from fighting the dogs had faded Peter's exhaustion from the nights busts had hit him like a ton of bricks. He needed to sleep and he didn't care where.

"Where's the nearest hotel?? He asked the moment the door was closed.

"The Masondale." The driver said promptly still eying the pack suspiciously. He was a large man, both taller and wider than Peter but definitely not in the greatest of health. He wheezed with the effort as he turned to face Peter and Janine. Ash dripped from his cigar as which wobbled as much as his jowls as he spoke. Putting Peter in mind of those British bulldogs like Winston Churchill used to have, only with less hair.

"Sounds lovely." Peter said unenthusiastically through a curled lip. "Take us there."

With another heavy wheeze the driver turned round and pulled away. "No luggage eh?" He said with a knowing smile. "You know the Masondale's a little pricy if you're just renting the room for an hour or so a buddy of mine runs a place in Brooklyn I can get you in cheep."

Janine was scandalized "Listen pal, I know what you're implying and let me tell you…" She raged but Peter cut across.

"Great," He said quickly. "Take us there."

"Peter!" Janine hissed, uncomfortably aware that the driver was listening in. "I'm not spending the night in a sleazy hotel."

"How much money do you have on you?" Peter asked her wearily.

"$50."

"And I got $80." He sighed. "We can't really afford the Hilton."

Janine was far from satisfied. "People will think…" She began, again Peter cut across.

"Let them!" He said rolling his eyes. "Maybe it'll be a good cover. Which side of the bed do you sleep on?"

"The middle." Janine said icily.

"Me too."

Janine couldn't help but laugh "I'm sure they'll have a nice comfy couch for you Dr. Venkman." She grinned. Peter feigned a hurt look.

"And we're back to Dr. Venkman." He smiled "You know I am your boss, I should be telling you where to sleep."

"I _should_ be sleeping back in my own bed." Janine replied Perhaps Peter imagined it but there seemed to be a slightly accusatory tone to her voice. He didn't see how this was his fault. She was just annoyed that he'd gone after her instead of Egon.

"Me too." He snapped defensively "I don't know why I came after you."

"Me either!" Janine shot back, folding her arms huffily across her chest. They carried on the journey in silence for a while, both Peter and Janine glaring out of different windows. After a while the driver, not the most discrete of men, asked:

"Er do you two lovebirds still want your room?"

Janine and Peter answered together.

"Yes."

"No."

"Janine, we can't stay on the streets." Peter pointed out.

"It's not hygienic." The driver agreed before coughing up a phlegm ball and spitting out of the window.

"Will you stay out of this?" Peter asked before turning back to Janine "Look, were both tired and frightened. I don't think either of us is thinking straight. We should get some rest and we'll tackle everything else in the morning."

"You should sleep on it," The driver agreed "you don't want to rush into anything."

Irritated Peter turned to berate the driver again and was amazed to find that they were stationary.

"Why have you stopped?" He demanded.

"We're here." The driver grinned showing an amazing array of black and yellow jagged teeth, faintly reminiscent of Slimer. "That'll be fifteen bucks."

"What? We only went a few blocks." Janine spluttered indignantly.

"Well I did save you money on the room." The driver reasoned.

Peter fumbled in his pockets and produced the money and slapped it into the greedy cabbies sweaty palm before slipping on his proton pack.

He emerged onto the street next to Janine who was staring in horror at the building in front of them. It was a_ dive. _

The plaster was cracked, the neon sign which normally read 'Renbrant hotel' was only flashing four letters and rats were fleeing the kitchen through the open side door. It clearly wasn't the cleanest. Most secure hotel in the world.

"Remind me not to order room service." Janine sniffed as another rat left the kitchen, taking a large onion with it.

"Its low key," Said Peter, looking on the bright side. "And I can say with absolute certainly we're in no danger of bumping into anyone we know or knew here."

Janine groaned and hung her head.

"Will we be safe?" She asked.

Peter rubbed her hunched back soothingly. "Do you want honesty or pacifying assurance?" He asked.

"Assurance."

"We'll be fine." He grinned leading her in through the front door.

"Liar." Janine murmured as they stepped over the threshold to her right there was a sign. 'No dogs allowed.'

"Hey Peter," She called. "Do you think they can read?"


End file.
